KVs ignore rules to please HRD bosses

Kendriya Vidyalayas are admitting fewer wards of Central government employees who should ideally be taken in as a priority. KVs are accommodating more students recommended by the Ministry of Human Resource Development .

The priorities of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) seem to changing fast. These schools are admitting fewer wards of Central government employees who should ideally be taken in as a priority.

KVs are accommodating more students recommended by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). Their numbers are steadily rising 1.37 per cent in 2001-02 to 23.97 in 2004-05. Meanwhile, the percentage of wards of government servants has dipped from 56 per cent in 2001-02 to 43 per cent in 2004-05.

The Public Accounts Committee, has not taken very kindly to the winds change. In its report tabled in Parliament on Friday, the committee headed by BJP spokesperson Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said, “The trend of admissions indicate that extraneous considerations seem to have weighed with the authorities concerned while admitting students to KV.

The committee will like to be apprised about the precise reasons for not adhering to the priority schedule.” As per norms, children of transferable Central government employees are to be given first priority, and children of non-transferable Central government employees come second.

There is a reduction in admissions under both these categories, and the HRD Ministry has jumped well above its quota of 100 seats. Officials, however, explain that many good students are opting for Kendriya Vidalayas as against well-known public schools.

“Kendriya Vidalayas are consistently doing better than public schools like DPS for the past few years and this has marketed KV so well that the students are coming in huge numbers from non-government sector," an official said. The PAC report says that in 2005, the result of KV for Class XII was about 93 per cent as compared to 81 per cent for Delhi Public School. KV has managed good results despite poor facilities for students, the report says.

SMART BOXWinds of change?• Kendriya Vidyalayas are increasingly admitting more students recommended
bythe Ministry of HRD
• Such cases have risen from 1.37 pc in 2001-02 to 23.97 in 2004-05.
• The number of deserving students has dipped from 56 pc to 43 pc in same
period